The Culture of NYC is Being Destroyed

The real essence of any city lies within the community. The physical landscape is given meaning by those who fill its doors and spaces.

New York City is known for its wide variety of culture because of its diverse communities. A huge part of what makes a community unique lies in its people, but more importantly, where those people cross paths and connect. Real and meaningful bonds are made at this intersection.

Small businesses establish a meaningful relationship with the surrounding community, something that corporate chains appear to make no attempt at. Small businesses have become part of what gives a community its solidarity and continuity over time.

There is a truly dynamic quality to living in the city, given the aggressive competition between businesses. Colson Whitehead put it best when he said, “no matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, “That used to be Munsey’s” or “That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge.”” You are a New Yorker when you are here long enough to see the dynamic quality of the city unfold before your eyes.

The natural unfolding of life implies transience; our surroundings will inevitably fade and change over time.

But something is wrong when there are people deliberately controlling that change solely to maximize their own profits. Gentrification pushes out the original community that gave the neighborhood its culture and appeal in the first place.

The mass opening of chain stores in any area drives up rents, contributing to the eviction of small businesses, while destroying the unique character of the neighborhood. A Zillow analysis found that “between 1997 and 2014, homes within a quarter-mile of a Starbucks increased in value by 96 percent, on average, compared with 65 percent for all U.S. homes.”

Real estate brokers have been working with developers to induce gentrification by opening up coffee shops and chains in the areas where they’re trying to sell or lease apartments in order to hike the rent. Small businesses have persevered through decades of ups and downs in the economy, changing markets and changing tastes, but they can’t survive the rent.

Not only are small businesses suffering, so are the communities. The rise in home value causes the original community to be driven out of their homes. The culture that once defined the neighborhood is forced out and replaced by monotony.

Striving to protect and preserve the diverse and unique culture of the urban fabric in New York City, #SaveNYC is raising awareness and taking action through grassroots, DIY movements.

#SaveNYC is following San Francisco’s lead in the fight against gentrification. The city of San Francisco recently passed a bill allowing long-term establishments to become historical landmarks (similar to the efforts of the Save Domino and Save 5ptz movements) in an attempt to protect them from landlords cashing in on the city’s real estate boom.

They are working to get the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) passed “to create fair negotiations of commercial lease renewals, so landlords can’t use insane rent hikes to evict dependable and beloved business people.”

#SaveNYC has a Facebook page that strictly posts calls to action.

In accordance with #SaveNYC’s efforts, Wikiburg has been tweeting Mayor DiBlasio using their tool, ReachOut, to question what his plan of action is regarding protections for small businesses from gentrification.

Join us in the resistance against gentrification. “If things continue they way they are, major cities all across the world that were once characteristically unique will simply become one big suburban shopping mall.”